Woe is Weredad
by Cakedecorator
Summary: What if Marinette wasn't lying about her feelings for Cat Noir? What if he had to reject her for a completely different reason? And what if Marinette actually was hurt about it, giving her father a good reason for getting upset? In short, what if none of the events of "Weredad" started from a misunderstanding? Rated T, Season 2/3 spoilers


**Hey all! Cakedecorator here with another Reverse Crush one-shot! For those of us who've seen the episode already (and seeing it was a real breather compared to Chameleon prior), this is basically the Reverse Crush makeover for the episode "Weredad." **

**What if Marinette ****_wasn't_**** lying about her feelings for Cat Noir? What if he had to reject her for ****_other_**** reasons? And what if Marinette actually ****_was_**** hurt about it? In short, what if _none of this_ started from a misunderstanding?  
**

**Oh, by the way, there's going to be some references to Spunky Kitten's story "The Misadventures of Adrien Agreste." It's one of my favorites, especially how she does the Reverse Crush herself! Really entertaining, maybe even more so than the actual episodes! **

* * *

One night in Paris, citizens were running scared, screaming as they were trying to outrun a giant baby in purple and green. The baby was crying out for cake and looking for something sweet to eat, crushing cars in his wake and causing people to run for their lives.

Luckily, Ladybug and Cat Noir were leaping across the rooftops and trying to stop the baby from his rampage.

Gigantitan as he was called soon came upon the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie - Marinette's house!

Seeing the bakery, he cooed, "Cake!"

Tom, still in his white and apron, came out of the front door with a peel in hand and said, "I'll protect my pastries even if it kills me!"

"Tom, you'll get hurt!" Sabine said as she also came out.

Ladybug and Cat Noir landed on the ground. Ladybug, seeing her parents in direct danger, said, "Da - er, Mr. Dupain, get out of the way!"

Ladybug threw her yo-yo and wrapped it around Gigantitan's wrist. She tugged hard, but she got distracted by her black cat partner. She blushed and looked at him saying, "S-So, d-do you think that your heart is like this baby's wrist? Wrapped up by my yo-yo and taken prisoner forever?"

Ladybug leaned in for a kiss, only to get a confused expression from him.

Gigantitan yanked hard and flung Ladybug into a billboard that had Adrien's perfume ad on it. She peeled her face off and saw that she was literally looking at Adrien's smiling lips.

"Oh-kay... Kissing Adrien? Not what I had in mind _at all_." Ladybug said, almost groaning at the idea. But she fell down, screaming.

Cat Noir caught Ladybug and held her like a princess. Ladybug looked at him and blushed heavily. Him carrying her in his arms the way he was happened a few times in the past both as Ladybug and as Marinette, but it never got old to her. She sighed, nearly swooning, but then remembered they had to get back on track.

"I... I thought my poetry would've caught your attention, kitty," Ladybug said as she stepped out of his arms. "Didn't it? I mean, I always fall for _yours_."

Cat Noir waved his hand as if to say "Eh..."

Ladybug rolled her eyes in frustration before calling out, _"Lucky Charm!"_

Out of the sky fell a gigantic plastic donut in red with black spots. Ladybug caught it with both hands, but she struggled to hold it while staying standing up.

"Cake!" Gigantitan said as he picked up the donut and began to chew on it. But realizing it wasn't real, he threw it into the window of Marinette's bedroom.

"Looks like the plastic donut isn't any match for the best macarons in Paris! Can't argue with that baby; he's got good taste." Cat Noir said, praising the Dupain-Chengs' works.

Ladybug visibly swooned and gave a nod in agreement. She wasn't going to say it outright, but she was happy that her crush was praising her parents' work, and she had to agree with him that the stuff they made was delicious.

She shook her head to get back on track, meawhile Cat Noir took out his baton and go and fight again.

"No! Marinette's room!" Tom shouted as he ran back inside the bakery and started running up the stairs into the house. _"Marinette! Marinette!"_

"Cat Noir, grab it!" Ladybug shouted as Gigantitan's fist crashed through a wall with a window, causing Tom to fall back down. He then went back to running up the stairs.

He dashed into the house, only to trip.

_"Cataclysm!" _Cat Noir shouted and Tom saw the ceiling was breaking and cracking, causing debris to fall on top of Tom. He covered his head and climbed the stairs to Marinette's room and trap door.

But the door was lock and he was pushing and shoving to get in.

_"Miraculous Ladybug!" _Ladybug shouted as the magic ladybugs started repairing the damage inside and out.

The damage on top of the house where Marinette's room was was completely fixed, and even the wreckage indoors got cleaned up in a jiffy, too. Tom burst into Marinette's room, shouting, _"Marinette?!"_

He climbed the stairs to her loft bed to see her head peeking out from the covers.

"Marinette?" Tom asked before pulling the blanket away, only to see a volleyball decorated like her head. He gasped.

Purple-black foam disappeared from Gigantitan and he turned back into a normal baby. He fell from the sky and he was caught by Cat Noir, meanwhile Ladybug picked up the fallen pacifier.

"I wonder what could've triggered him this time?" Cat Noir asked as he cuddled with the baby boy, Ladybug at his side.

"Baby August, were you craving cake in the middle of the night? Aw, you're so cute!" Ladybug said as she cooed while August giggled and got doted on by Cat Noir.

Ladybug blushed and sighed at the sight of this, before saying, "I... I'm a bit jealous."

But her earring beeped and she said, "Oops! Can't be!"

Ladybug launched her yo-yo up in the air before waving to the baby, "Gotta go! Bye bye, cutie!"

She zipped up into the air, leaving Cat Noir behind. Ladybug hid somewhere on the roof and she said, "Spots off."

She changed back into Marinette and Tikki came out.

"Tom?! What's going on?!" Sabine asked as she came up into Marinette's room, only to see her husband acting frantic.

"Marinette's not _in_ here!" Tom said.

Sabine gasped in shock.

Outside, Cat Noir was looking up at where Ladybug disappeared to. August was cooing while reaching up after her.

"You're a fan, huh? She's a great friend," Cat Noir said. "Couldn't do this without her. As for her romantic interest in me..."

But August turned back to Cat Noir and cooed again with a sad face. Cat Noir then remembered that Ladybug was carrying August's pacifier before she left.

"Oh, right, your pacifier. Better go and get it." Cat Noir said as he took out his baton with one hand and went up to Marinette's roof.

Marinette came out from hiding while still holding the pacifier.

"Marinette?" Cat Noir asked. Marinette squeaked and hid the pacifier behind her back, but she dropped it.

Her heart pounded louder than ever before, her cheeks went about as red as a red delicious apple, and the pigtailed designer gave a nervous giggle at the sight of her crush. Just seeing him in the dim light of nighttime made Marinette want to swoon.

_'OMG! He's RIGHT HERE in front of me! Can this night get any better?!' _Marinette thought.

"Hey, now that I think about it, this isn't the first time we've run into each other when Ladybug's gone off to change back," Cat Noir said, putting his free hand to his chin in thought. Marinette wasn't paying attention, just staring at Cat Noir with hearts in her eyes. He gasped in epiphany. "Hey, is it possible that..."

Marinette just didn't register the possibility that Cat Noir might've figured out her secret identity.

Consumed by her feelings for him and thinking that the moment was just _too_ perfect, she ran over to Cat Noir and hugged him, gleefully shouting, _"I LOVE you!"_

She buried her smiling face into the crook of his neck and nuzzled her cheek against it, smiling and sighing happily.

"P...Princess...?" Cat Noir asked, blushing a deep red and trying his best to hold back a goofy smile.

No luck, and he couldn't help but use his free arm to hug Marinette close to him, and he rested his cheek against the top of her head, gently taking in the fruity scent of her shampoo.

Marinette squealed with joy internally. She was in the arms of Cat Noir. The boy who encouraged her when they defeated Stoneheart the second time, the boy who gave her the confidence she needed to declare war against Hawk Moth, the superhero heartthrob she had plastered all over her walls and the boy she couldn't imagine her life without.

"You stole my heart when you and Ladybug first took Stoneheart down. How you encouraged her and didn't lose faith in her after your first time out together... How could I _not_ fall for you, Cat Noir?!" Marinette said, looking up at him. "And that night you brought me to that rose-covered rooftop, oh, it only made me happier! I doubt you'd do that for just _any_ girl."

Cat Noir's smile went from goofy to serene and he let go of Marinette's waist before catching her chin in his hand. He began to lean in for a kiss, and Marinette was happily reciprocating the sentiment... when they heard a door open.

Cat Noir looked to see Tom Dupain, Marinette's father, looking at them in surprise.

"Well, I'll be!" Tom said, a delighted smile on his face.

Marinette jumped off Cat Noir and blushed while trying to hold back her own smile. Cat Noir was mirroring the expression. His ring beeped and he said, "Oops, perfect timing! Gotta get this little boy back to his mother!"

Just as Cat Noir turned around to leave, Tom put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hang on! Why not join us for brunch tomorrow?" Tom suggested. Sabine came out of the skylight window, too.

Marinette was nodding furiously with a big smile on her face. Cat Noir had to smile, too. The opportunity to have brunch with his princess was too good to pass up.

"I'd love to," Cat Noir said. "Will you make some of those macarons, please?"

"Of course I will!" Tom said with a wink.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow! Save me a kiss, Princess." Cat Noir said. He turned to Marinette and gave her a wink before leaping off the roof on his stick.

Marinette swooned and was about to squeal with joy at the line "save me a kiss, Princess." She fell backwards, only for her mother to catch her and laugh in amusement.

"Oh Marinette, why didn't you tell us you were having nightly rendezvous with one of Paris's superheroes?!" Tom delightedly asked.

Marinette's head was too far up in the clouds to really listen to her parents.

"I guess Marinette wasn't just a big fan of us like Alya," Cat Noir said as he was running along the rooftops to go and bring August home. "But... for her to have romantic feelings for me... Wow, it's like my biggest dreams are coming true."

August giggled in response.

"Yeah, I never thought the day would come that she'd tell me "I love you." Wow. I hope this isn't a dream. If it is, I don't wanna wake up." Cat Noir said, heaving a sweet sigh. He kept going.

Marinette went back on her bed and squealed to Tikki, "Oh, Tikki! It's like everything that I've ever wanted is happening! It's a miracle!"

"And the best part is that you were being honest about your feelings for him! You finally told him how you feel about him!" Tikki said.

"Yeah... I'll bet he was about to ask me if I was in love with him, and I answered him the way I've wanted to for _so long!_" Marinette squealed.

Tikki paused at that and she gave Marinette a deadpan expression.

"You mean it didn't occur to you at all that he might've found out you're Ladybug?" Tikki asked. "You weren't even thinking and you just confessed your feelings for him when he was about to connect the dots!"

"Oh Tikki, that's irrelevant now," Marinette said. "He's coming over for brunch tomorrow, having a thorough conversation with mom and dad... OOH, this is gonna be the best brunch in my whole life!"

Marinette was squealing with joy, but Tikki wasn't sure whether or not to celebrate. Marinette was making headway with her love life, but the idea that her secret identity might've been compromised didn't even register with her.

Down in the shop, Tom was running around the bakery like a hurricane, putting some heart-shaped treats on a tray.

"Our daughter's beau is coming over for brunch tomorrow! Can you believe it?! Marinette has a boyfriend! And he's a superhero, which is the icing on the cake! She'll definitely be safe with him as her lover!" Tom said, delighted.

"Tom, don't you think you're moving a little fast?" Sabine asked, drinking tea from a cup.

Tom considered Sabine's question and then he said, "Oh yeah! How can I think about making dessert when I haven't even started on the main course?!"

Sabine sighed and put a hand to her head.

"Aha!" Tom said, snapping his fingers in epiphany when he got an idea. "I know just what to make! A lovers' _vol-au-vent! _Just need to find the candied oranges!"

Tom then started rummaging around in the baking cabinet to try and find that specific ingredient.

"I mean that Cat Noir hasn't said anything about how _he_ feels. Love is a two-way street, remember?" Sabine said.

"Don't be silly, Sabine! He's clearly in love with Marinette! And he wouldn't be the only one! _Everyone_ loves Marinette!" Tom said.

Sabine sighed and gave a patient smile.

* * *

Cat Noir leaped back into his bedroom in the Agreste mansion and then he changed back into Adrien. He stood up and put his hands against his back to stretch out.

"Can you believe this, Plagg? Marinette loves me. _Me!_ I've always wanted to have a relationship with her, but I'd never thought that she'd be in love with me." Adrien said, dancing on air. His cheeks were red and all his fantasies were coming to life.

"She's in love with _Cat Noir_, not _Adrien_." Plagg pointed out.

"That's even better. She loves the _true me_, the one that comes out under the black cat suit. Not mask "Adrien" that I have to wear in public all the time." Adrien said, resisting the urge to cheer. He didn't want Nathalie or his father to find him in his state.

"I guess that's a bonus." Plagg said with a shrug.

Adrien shouted, "Tomorrow's gonna be the best meal ever!"

Plagg smiled and said, "Yeah! The daughter of the best bakers in Paris! You certainly struck gold with her! All that bread paired with all that cheese! It's gonna be heaven!"

Adrien shook his head at his incorrigible kwami, and then he swooned as he slumped onto the couch. He couldn't wait for the next day.

The late morning at the Dupain-Cheng house, Tom was happily setting their table for brunch and happily whistling.

Up on her balcony, Marinette was resting her face in her hands and looking around for Cat Noir. She had a wistful, lovesick face on and she sighed.

Seeing her crush was nowhere in sight, she sighed loudly in devastation and said, "You don't think... You don't think he isn't gonna come, do you?!"

"I doubt it, Marinette," Tikki said with a giggle. "He seemed _so eager_ last night. And besides, he requested macarons."

"Oh, you're right, Tikki! He's going to be coming for brunch... I can't wait!" Marinette began, swooning.

Tikki shook her head. Her owner was pretty silly sometimes.

At the Agreste mansion, Adrien was eating lunch alone again, feeling bile in his stomach. At thinking about his lovely Marinette, he perked up.

"Shouldn't we be getting to Marinette's by now? I'm sure you're eager to see your Princess." Plagg asked.

"Sh!" Adrien said as Plagg went back to hiding.

Nathalie came back in with her tablet and she said, "Adrien, you have to review your Chinese lesson after you finish lunch in twenty-four minutes."

"Let me guess: father's too busy to eat with me again?" Adrien said.

"Yes. You'll be able to eat with him next Thursday from 7:30AM to 7:45AM." Nathalie informed.

"Fine," Adrien spat, taking his tray up and walking out of the room. "Might as well go in my room and finish eating in there while reviewing Chinese. At least talking while I eat will make it _feel _less lonesome."

Once he got back into his room with the tray, he put the tray down.

He locked the door, turned to his kwami with a smile and said, "Alright, Plagg! I've got a princess and her parents to win over! But then again, I've already won her over because she already loves me! She kissed my cheek when I gave her that rooftop surprise before Glaciator attacked! And I got to kiss hers, too!"

"Yeah, glad that worked out. Especially since that overly-convoluted plan involving all the boys' help went in the tank when that baby got akumatized the first time," Plagg said. "Or that time you shared a dance with her at Chloé's party before Despair Bear went on the loose, you trying to "help" Marinette get a date with that guitar player..."

"Alright, alright, I get the point!" Adrien said, embarrassed at all his failures in the past. "But I got to kiss her during the picnic on Heroes' Day, too."

"Only on the cheek, though. Still a step in the right direction." Plagg commented.

Adrien was sighing with delight at the memory of that kiss and the sensation of Marinette's soft skin, before saying, "Normally a guy meeting his girlfriend's parents is usually his worst nightmare, but the Dupain-Chengs are the nicest people in the world."

"Not to mention they make _great_ bread! Cheese and sourdough is the best!" Plagg commented.

Adrien wasn't listening to Plagg. He went to the bathroom to put on some cologne and brush his teeth. He spat the toothpaste out in the sink and looked at himself in the mirror. He gave a smile and he winked at himself before Plagg came in.

"Marinette and Cat Noir... The best superhero-civilian power couple in the world!" Adrien said as he left the bathroom to get ready.

That's when something occurred to Plagg. Something _crucial_. He realized that he'd have to snap Adrien out of his fantasies, but not because Plagg couldn't stand the romance. It was a completely different reason.

"I finally have a date with Marinette! I'll win her parents over, I'll have their daughter's hand in a relationship, and the Marichat ship will sail! The ship's..." Adrien rambled, but...

"Gotta crash and sink, kid. You can't date her." Plagg interrupted.

"What?" Adrien asked, incredulous and angry at Plagg's change of tune. "You've been with me ever since I first fell in love with Marinette and _now_ you're telling me to give up on her?!"

"Give up on her as _Cat Noir_, kid. Remember: she confessed her love to you as a superhero. And as Cat Noir, you're constantly trying to keep the city safe from Hawk Moth." Plagg said.

"What's your point?" Adrien asked.

"If the public found out that you had a civilian girlfriend, Hawk Moth would learn about it right away and she'd be targeted constantly!" Plagg said, not telling Adrien that Ladybug and Marinette were one and the same.

Adrien realized that his kwami had a point. If he - that is, Cat Noir - and Marinette started dating and then the public got wind of it, Hawk Moth would also find out about it instantly, and then Marinette would be in _more_ trouble.

"Y... You're right. And Hawk Moth already took advantage of that when we first faced Volpina. It was only an illusion, but still... Seeing Marinette dangling from the top of the Eiffel Tower gave me a heart attack, and I nearly gave up my Miraculous," Adrien said, giving him yet another reason to win Marinette's heart as Adrien instead of Cat Noir. "...I can't date her as Cat Noir."

"Bingo." Plagg said.

Adrien was devastated that he'd have to break the heart of the girl he loved. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw the pink rose that came in the vase with his breakfast. It was pink, Marinette's favorite color.

Adrien took it out, sighed sadly and said, "...Forgive me, _mon amour._"

"Oh yeah, using a pink rose to soften the blow is _really_ romantic. That'll make this easier." Plagg sarcastically said. Adrien had to agree.

Back on her balcony, Marinette kept looking around at the cloudy cityscape, trying to find her sweet kitten. But she couldn't see him, and she grew sad at the sight.

"I... I guess he isn't coming..." Marinette sadly said as she left and started go downstairs into her room. "I should've known..."

Tikki turned around and saw Cat Noir bounding across the rooftops towards the bakery.

"Don't look now Marinette, but the man of your dreams is here!" Tikki said as she pointed Cat Noir our.

"Really?! He's here!" Marinette said, squealing with joy.

Cat Noir landed in front of the bakery, the rose in hand.

Seeing that he had a flower for her and that he was actually here, Marinette was at first delighted to see him, but then her fantasies started to run wild while she started freaking out.

She screeched quietly before pacing around the balcony in a panic.

"Oh crap! He's _here! He's HERE!_" Marinette said, pacing back and forth in fear. "He actually _does_ love me?!"

Tikki wasn't gonna say anything and just let her owner go on with her nutty imagination.

"Oh, I can't tell if my dreams are coming true or if Sandboy dusted me again!" Marinette panicked. "What am I gonna say to him?! What am I gonna _do?! _If he actually _is_ in love with me, then things are gonna get _so complicated! _I'll have to duck and dodge between being Ladybug and Marinette even _more_ than usual _AND_ I'll have to hide my secret from him, too! Oh, why couldn't he have fallen in love with _Ladybug?!"_

"Marinette, don't forget that you and Ladybug are the same person. It wouldn't really matter. He'd still be in love with you." Tikki said.

"Exactly! It wouldn't be so complicated!" Marinette said.

Tikki had to groan in annoyance. It'd _still_ be very complicated even if Cat Noir fell for Ladybug and she still had feelings for him.

The doorbell began ringing and Marinette froze up.

"Marinette!" Tom shouted from downstairs.

"What am I gonna do?!" Marinette said, beginning to panic about her date with Cat Noir.

Marinette came down the stairs and saw the table was set and her father looked proud of himself. The doorbell rang again and she got nervous. The happy kind of nervous.

"Come on, Marinette, let him in!" Tom said as he gently pushed Marinette towards the door.

Giddily, Marinette turned the handle and Cat Noir was there with a pink rose in his hand. He was giving Marinette a goofy smile, before saying, "Hi there, Marinette."

"Hi, Cat Noir." Marinette said, hearts in her eyes.

"Welcome!" Tom shouted as he shoved Marinette aside and brought Cat Noir up for a big bear hug.

"Dad, let him down! He's gonna suffocate like that!" Marinette said, giggling.

"Oops." Tom said as he put Cat Noir down and turned him to face his daughter before dashing back to his wife's side.

The two teenagers were both blushing and shyly trying to avoid eye contact.

"How are you today?" Cat Noir asked.

"I'm fine. And yourself?" Marinette replied, looking at her parents out of her peripheral vision. They were eager for some romance.

Cat Noir leaned in, his lips puckered. Marinette blushed and the two of them kissed each other's cheeks in greeting. But Cat Noir was just as red in the face and they were both smiling at each other.

"Oh look! He brought a pink rose for Marinette! It's her favorite color! You two already know each other very well!" Tom said excitedly.

"Well... It's true, I love pink," Marinette said, giving Cat Noir a smile. "I didn't think that he'd glean that from so few encounters."

_'I actually know you so much better than you think, my love.' _Cat Noir thought, delighted that his Princess was happy with the rose. He said, "Well, I remember that one time I had to come into your room when that little girl Manon got akumatized."

"Really? You remembered that?" Marinette asked, flattered. "But still... This happened kind of quickly, didn't it?"

"Oh, love at first sight! That's the most romantic thing ever!" Tom said as he ushered the kids to the table, making sure they were sitting next to each other. "Sit down and make yourself at home, Cat Noir! I'll get the first course!"

Cat Noir cleared his throat and said to Marinette, "Listen, Marinette, I need to say something..."

But then a tiered tray with heart-shaped _vol-au-vents _was placed in front of them, and Tom said, "Tada! Lovers' _vol-au-vent! _Only for _two_, naturally."

Marinette blushed, meanwhile Cat Noir took up one of the pieces and started eating one.

"So, Cat Noir, do you think as far as careers go, being a superhero is a stable one?" Tom asked.

Cat Noir began choking on her food at that question, with Sabine saying indignantly, "Tom!"

"What?" Tom asked.

"Well, going around the rooftops with a stick, saving people all the time _can't_ be safe." Marinette said. She knew how that was, being Ladybug herself.

"Don't worry, Marinette," Tom said. "He's not gonna be a superhero forever. Once he and Ladybug defeat Hawk Moth, he can retire!"

Marinette gave a nod, understanding her father's point, not willing to argue under the circumstances. Cat Noir had to agree, wondering what'd happen when Hawk Moth was finally taken down for good.

He then realized this was a good way to bring up the subject of why he had to reject Marinette. He wasn't looking forward to this.

"Speaking of Hawk Moth..." Cat Noir began, but...

"Oh, how about I train you to take over the bakery?" Tom suggested.

Cat Noir wasn't sure about a career in the bakery, but the idea of being part of a family as warm and loving as the Dupain-Chengs was very appealing.

Marinette, embarrassed by her father, said, "What if he doesn't _want_ to be a baker? Maybe he has something else in mind for a career?"

Cat Noir gave a nod, and Tom said, "See! He'd love to! When it comes to bakers, everyone loves them!"

"Oh, I actually think that he'd be quite the handsome model for my clothing line when I open my own label someday..." Marinette said, trying to change the subject. But she blushed at letting this fantasy of hers out of her mouth.

Cat Noir stifled a cough at that statement. He already _was_ a model, but Marinette didn't need to know _that._ It'd compromise his secret.

"Oh, even better!" Tom said. "I can already see the little kittens the two of you would have running around the house. _Oh_, and hamsters! What do you think about hamsters, Cat Noir? Marinette adores them! Marinette, what'd you say you'd name your future hamster?"

Tom was _really_ getting ahead of himself and Marinette was blushing and smiling awkwardly. She murmured absently, "This is a dream-come-true..."

"Dream-come-true! Well... that's a bit of a mouthful," Tom said. "Let me bring in the soufflé!"

Tom came back with a heart-shaped soufflé, and Cat Noir had to blush at the implication.

"Tom, shouldn't we let Cat Noir tell us himself what _he_ wants?" Sabine suggested.

"Good idea. You haven't let him get a word in edgewise at all!" Marinette said before looking at Cat Noir apologetically.

Cat Noir swallowed his food before saying, "Thank you. Mr. Dupain, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, and Marinette... Listen, you're all amazing people, and your daughter is the sweetest girl I've ever met... Her feelings for me were something I've always wanted myself. Hell, I know I'm awesome enough, even I'd fall for myself if I could..."

Tom was delighted at the idea that the feeling was mutual between them.

Cat Noir took Marinette's hands into his own and said, "Princess, you've always had my heart for a long time. And now that I know that you feel the same way, I couldn't be happier... But..."

Cat Noir's face fell and he heaved a sad sigh. He said, "...But alas, we're star-crossed lovers and can't be together."

Sabine and Tom recoiled in shock while Marinette's heart felt like it shattered like glass.

"What?! Why not?!" Tom asked.

"Don't get me wrong, Mr. Dupain. I love your daughter very much, but with Hawk Moth still out there, it just isn't safe," Cat Noir explained. "In this day and age, if the public learned about me and Marinette as a couple, it'd spread like wildfire. Then Hawk Moth is gonna take advantage of that and target her over and over again. He'll send countless akumas after her, or worse, try and find a way to akumatize her himself. I couldn't live with myself if she ever got hurt or if I had to fight her."

"You two could date once Hawk Moth is taken down!" Tom said.

"But that could take _years_," Cat Noir said. "And he's already had akumas target Marinette in the past."

"It wouldn't be the first time you've saved me from a super villain! Remember Evillustrator?" Marinette asked.

"He was pretty low on the danger meter," Cat Noir said. "I was talking about _Volpina_."

Marinette cringed at that and said, "Ooh, yeah. _That_ was nasty."

"I know it was only an illusion, but seeing her dangling you from the Eiffel Tower, threatening to let you fall if I didn't hand over my Miraculous... It scared me out of my mind. And it's clear that _vixen_ hasn't let it go." Cat Noir said.

"And Lila's back in class now. She won't leave me alone and is constantly getting in my space, and _lying_ about everything." Marinette said.

Cat Noir gave a nod. He was hurting, too.

"Yeah. I... I'm so sorry, Marinette. I love you, and I know you feel the same way, but... For your own sake, we can't date." Cat Noir said.

Marinette began to cry, feeling heartbroken and hurt, before saying, "This isn't fair! You woo me on the rooftops, profess your love to me in front of my parents only to _dump_ me and say "it's for my own good?!" How could you?!"

Cat Noir cringed. He was afraid of this, and he wasn't happy about breaking his Princess's heart. This was the last thing he wanted. She stood up from the table.

"Marinette!" Tom said.

"Marinette, please! I only want to make sure you're safe! You mean so much to me!" Cat Noir said.

"Yeah, right! Says the boy who claims that he can't date me for my own safety... I mean, you have a point... But..." Marinette began.

Cat Noir stood up and tried to put his hand on her shoulder, only for her to smack it away. He recoiled, hurt.

"I... I'll be okay," Marinette said. "But maybe I'm fated to be loveless for my _whole life!_ Yeah, I'll get that hamster, but it's going to be named _Spinsterhood!_"

Marinette ran up to her room crying, slamming the door. Cat Noir was devastated at seeing her like that, and he sighed sadly.

She ran up to her loft bed and laid down, resisting the urge to sob. Tikki came out of hiding and said, "Marinette..."

"This isn't fair, Tikki! _This_ is why I wanted him to fall for _Ladybug!_ Why couldn't I have fallen for someone like _Adrien?!_" Marinette said, wiping her tears away.

Tikki resisted the urge to face-palm. She knew that Adrien was actually downstairs as they spoke. She was getting sick of this love square.

Down in the kitchen, the soufflé deflated, just like Cat Noir's heart broke into pieces.

"I... I'm sorry," Cat Noir said, directed mainly at Marinette, but he was loud enough that Tom and Sabine could hear him. "This wasn't what I wanted to happen. Believe me, this breaks my heart just as much. I... I should be going. Thank you for having me anyway."

He sadly left the apartment, glancing up to the door to Marinette's room before he left out the door. He was crying on the inside that he had to do this, but like Plagg said: it was better that Marinette stay safe above all else.

Sabine looked at her husband, who was growling and clenching his fist.

In Hawk Moth's lair somewhere in the Agreste mansion, Hawk Moth detected Tom's anger. He would've sensed Marinette's heartbreak and sadness too, but she calmed down enough to think clearly.

"Ah, a father's heart broken at his child's heartache and sadness! There's not a recipe that could be even _more_ delicious!" Hawk Moth said, as a butterfly landed in his hand. He charged it with black energy, and he released the back butterfly out the window. "Go, my dreadful akuma! A buffet of evil and darkness is all yours for the taking!"

Back at the apartment, Tom was holding the rose that Cat Noir gave Marinette.

"How could he do this to Marinette?! He led her on only to do _this?!_" Tom said, angry.

"Tom, don't forget what he said: he loves her, but he can't be her boyfriend because that would put her in danger. He did it for Marinette's safety, not to hurt her feelings," Sabine said, and then she took her husband's hand. "And one day, Marinette will meet another boy that she'll love from the bottom of her heart and..."

They didn't notice that the akuma got into the apartment as Tom took his hand away.

"_He'll_ lead her on and break it too! _Never _again! I'm not gonna let _any boy_ break her heart _EVER again!_" Tom declared. Sabine gasped in shock as the akuma entered the rose, turning it black.

A butterfly-shaped halo appeared in front of Tom's face.

_"Weredad, I am Hawk Moth," _Hawk Moth said, connecting with Tom. _"I'm giving you the power to safeguard your daughter from anything and anyone that'll break her heart. In exchange..."_

"I'll bring you a Cat Noir mincemeat pie." Tom said, an evil smile on his face.

_"That, his and Ladybug's Miraculous would be absolutely scrumptious."_ Hawk Moth said.

The black/purple foam contained Tom and it spread around the apartment, with Sabine backing up. Up in her room, a dejected Marinette noticed the changes going on and snapped out of her sadness.

"What the-?! TIKKI!" Marinette shouted for her Kwami, but they got separated through the akumatizing.

"Marinette!" Tikki shouted.

A depressed and heartbroken Cat Noir was walking away from the Dupain-Cheng bakery, angry at himself for hurting Marinette the way he did. He _adored_ her, so the fact that he was the cause of Marinette's sadness was eating him up inside.

"I blew it..." Cat Noir murmured to himself, only to hear a crash from behind him.

He whirled around to see that in a cloud of purple/black foam, a giant rose stem was twisting and turning up and out of the building and up to the sky. Thorns were giant and vines were coming out of the windows, too.

"I _COMPLETELY blew it!_" Cat Noir shouted before running back to the building, screaming, _"Princess!"_

Tikki squeezed out of the thorns and she saw the giant bramble going up through the clouds.

"Marinette!" Tikki shouted before flying up to find her owner.

In the apartment, Sabine was looking at the giant thorn branch that was breaking through the ceiling, surprised and gasping.

Cat Noir threw the door open and said, "I'm _so sorry_, this whole thing is my fault!"

"Don't apologize, Cat Noir. Tom's the problem here," Sabine said as she put her hands on his shoulders. Cat Noir was a little confused. "He _always_ goes too far with things like this. It doesn't matter how many times I try and get him to slow down."

"Don't worry! I'll get your husband to see reason and rescue Marinette! That, I promise!" Cat Noir said.

"What about Ladybug? Shouldn't you wait for her?" Sabine asked.

"No, she'll come at the right time as always," Cat Noir said with a shrug and waved the idea off. "Besides, she honestly doesn't hold a candle to Marinette... As much as I wish I could date her, I can't. Not with Hawk Moth still at large. And seeing how Mr. Dupain got akumatized over her just proves my point."

"That's not something you have to apologize for," Sabine said, to Cat Noir's surprise. "You were only thinking of Marinette's safety, and _that's_ what shows that you truly care about her. You're a good person, so never apologize for your feelings."

"Thank you, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng." Cat Noir said, before leaping on to the bramble and climbing it.

"Best of luck to you!" Sabine said.

Cat Noir was running on all fours up the vine, climbing higher and higher up into the sky. As he got above the clouds, he stopped for a second and saw how far up he was, and realized that he _still_ had a long way to go.

Determined to save his darling, he continued his trek up the vine. He landed on a plateau, and shouted, _"Princess!"_

But alas, he once again looked up and saw a giant ball of vines wrapped up amongst itself.

Inside the rose prison, Marinette squeezed out of a hallway and landed down on another floor. She shouted, _"Tikki?" _

Her shout echoed in the prison, and she shouted again, _"Tikki?!" _

Outside, Tikki flew inside the ball to find her owner. She squeezed inside and shouted, _"Marinette!"_

Hearing her kwami, Marinette shouted, _"Tikki!"_

She started running across the vines, shouting, "I'm over here!"

Kwami and owner were shouting out each other's name and were hoping they could find each other, but it was just turning into one big game of Marco Polo. They were shouting and trying to find each other, but the echoing and the magic in the prison was keeping them apart.

Back out on the vines, Cat Noir was walking around trying to find Marinette.

"Princess? Mr. Dupain?" Cat Noir shouted, but then he got started when he saw a giant wolf paw slam a distance away.

He jumped back when he saw Tom, now a giant wolf-like beast with a lot more muscles, his mustache was black and a lot thicker now, green shorts, and thorny vines around his waist, ankles, and arms. The one around his waist extended past, as if it were a tail.

"You've got _some balls_, coming back here after what you've done!" Tom, now Weredad roared.

He then jumped on Cat Noir to try and punch him, but the black cat leaped out of the way, tumbled and rolled before recovering and taking his stick out.

"You think I wouldn't come back to save my princess?!" Cat Noir said as he blocked an attack with his stick.

"She's safe from you! You and every single boy who wants to break her heart!" Weredad growled as he and Cat Noir decided to have it out.

Cat Noir blocked with his stick, ducked, or dodged, but Weredad started pushing on his stick. Cat Noir pushed him away with his feet before jumping out of the way to avoid another punch.

"Breaking her heart was the _last_ thing I wanted to do! That wasn't what I meant to happen _at all_, I promise!" Cat Noir said.

"And _I _promise that your skeleton's gonna be smashed beyond recognition!" Weredad roared while swinging the vine around his waist at Cat Noir.

He landed a hit and Cat Noir was knocked over, and he rolled over to the edge of the vine. He nearly fell, but he caught himself with one of his hands.

"Damn it! Where's Ladybug when you need her?!" Cat Noir asked aloud, frustrated at his partner's absence before climbing back up. "Listen, I can't - ah!"

Weredad had grabbed him up by the scruff of his neck, and Cat Noir was flailing his legs.

"I'm not gonna let you do that!" Cat Noir shouted in protest.

"And why not?!" Weredad hollered as he threw Cat Noir.

He landed and tumbled before getting back up, but Weredad lunged at him.

"Because I have to rescue a princess stuck in a tower!" Cat Noir shouted as he kept ducking and dodging the punches.

He tried to climb the vine by jumping between the thorns, but Weredad grabbed him by his belt and started spinning him around.

"I won't let you rescue her! You've got no right to save her!" Weredad roared before slamming Cat Noir down.

_'No argument there. I don't deserve to save Marinette after hurting her, but...' _Cat Noir thought, having to agree with Weredad on this point.

"The only one who'll protect her from now on will be _me!_" Weredad roared in declaration.

Cat Noir struggled to stand, and he was holding his arm in pain. He couldn't help but see parallels to his personal life at home. So he asked, "So, you plan on protecting her her _entire _life?"

"Yes! I'll protect her from anything that can hurt her! Heartbreak, sadness, or hardship!" Weredad said.

"You're wrong. There's one thing that hurts the most that you _can't_ protect her from! You know what that is?!" Cat Noir said, turning around to face Weredad.

"My fists and their punches?!" Weredad raged.

The two lunged at one another, but Cat Noir went to land behind him and he extended his stick and bent it around Weredad to keep him from moving around.

"No! Isolation! _That's_ what hurts the most! And trust me, I know about that firsthand! Being alone, sitting in front of cold, unappetizing food every day. Do you _really_ want Marinette to suffer the same way?! Stuck in a prison of flowers?!" Cat Noir said.

Weredad faltered, realizing that he hadn't thought of that. But he threw Cat Noir back off him and shouted, "No! She'll never be alone!"

Cat Noir tumbled back and landed on his feet.

"A prince will come one day! A prince that'll have the courage to face me and fight!" Weredad shouted. "He'll be the one that'll face any and all dangers and then he'll pick the magical rose for her! And only _he_ will be worthy of taking Marinette out of here!"

Cat Noir was looking on in worry, thinking, _'Why do I have a feeling Luka would have a better shot at this right now?! Doesn't music soothe the savage beast or something?!'_

Back in the brambles, Marinette was still running around and trying to find Tikki.

"Tikki!" Marinette shouted.

"This prison's trying to keep us from finding each other! It's a magic one!" Tikki shouted as she kept flying around.

Marinette soon found herself in the middle of the brambles and it didn't seem like there were any exits.

"Oh come on! This can't be a 'no way out' situation!" Marinette said, looking around.

She noticed something in the distance. A beam of light coming through the canopy of the roses. Squinting her eyes and trying to get a closer look, Marinette saw the pink rose Cat Noir gave her was sticking up out of the thorn.

"Aha! The rose Cat Noir gave me!" Marinette said before making a dash for the rose. But her foot stuck to the vine for a second and she heard some gears turning or a lock of some sort get activated.

She saw a swinging thorn bramble heading her way and she ducked by landing on her stomach. She looked up and saw that there were more swinging thorn vines up ahead. With a determined smile on her face, she started running and ducking, dodging the brambles and trying to get to the rose. If she knew how things worked, then the rose held the akuma in it. No doubt about it.

Cat Noir was still fighting Weredad, dodging his vines, but at one point, his waist got bound by the vines and then he was thrown on his back into the trunk.

Though he was getting tired and feeling the pain from getting beaten up by an angry dad, he wasn't going to quit on this goal.

"I may not have the right to be her prince charming, but I have to free her!" Cat Noir said weakly as he held up his stick.

"I won't let you!" Weredad declared before punching again and Cat Noir braced himself for the attack.

Marinette kept trying to find her way to the rose, balancing on a vine as if she were on a balance beam in the gym. The impact from the fighting outside nearly knocked her off her feet.

Hearing her scream, Tikki shouted, "You okay, Marinette!"

"I'm fine!" Marinette shouted back as she kept her balance. "I've got this."

Outside, Weredad retracted his vine. Cat Noir fell to his stomach and his stick was broken into a few pieces.

"Being in love with, yet unable to stay with her, losing my stick, it won't keep me from saving her," Cat Noir said, albeit he was really weak. Weredad picked him up, and Cat Noir tried weakly punching him. "Not... I'll _never_ quit! I won't give up until she's safe!"

"You're not good enough for my daughter!" Weredad declared. A butterfly halo appeared in front of his face.

_"Take the ring! The Miraculous!"_ Hawk Moth demanded.

Weredad began to reach for the ring.

Marinette was climbing up to the rose. She stretched her arm out in spite of all the strain she was taking on, and she snatched the rose.

"Score!" Marinette said. But the rose dissolved in her hand and the akuma flew out.

She heard breaking noises and saw vines falling. Her eyes widened and said, "Oh no..."

The brambles started to fall from the sky and they all started falling. She screamed.

Weredad changed back into Tom and both he and Cat Noir fell on the stalks. And then _those_ stalks started falling.

Everyone was clinging to stalks and screaming.

Marinette was clinging for dear life and screaming.

"Marinette!" Tikki said as she found her owner.

"Tikki! Spots on!" Marinette shouted.

She transformed into Ladybug and dive-bombed off the stalk. She found the akuma, spread her arms and legs out, and she caught it with her yo-yo.

"Bye-bye, little butterfly!" Ladybug said as she released it during the fall.

Cat Noir noticed Ladybug was there and he flipped around, shouting, "Ladybug! What took you so long?!"

"Sorry! But I'm coming!" Ladybug said as she tried to catch up with them.

"Forget about me! What about Marinette?! She's gotta be around here somewhere!" Cat Noir said.

"I already got her out of there!" Ladybug shouted, while internally swooning and thinking, _'Oh, even though I'm here as Ladybug, he's still more worried about me as Marinette! What a tomcat!' _

She was blushing and swooning, while wondering how anyone _wouldn't_ fall in love with Cat Noir! She caught up to her dad and her partner and she said, "Since not everyone can land on their feet, let's use a little luck. _Lucky Charm!"_

Using her superpower, she conjured up a red and black-spotted sailboat, and the boat caught the trio.

"Cat Noir! Cataclysm on the hull!" Ladybug said.

"Got it! _Cataclysm!_" Cat Noir said as he hit the hull of the boat, causing it to disintegrate. The pair then took the boom and the sail mast and tied the sail to them to create a hang glider, and they started to fly over the city (though Tom wasn't really enjoying the ride).

The trio landed on the street in front of the bakery.

"Tom!" Sabine shouted as she ran out of the bakery.

"Darling!" Tom said as he ran over to his wife to give her a hug.

"Pound it..." Cat Noir weakly said before collapsing on his partner.

"Pound it, kitty," Ladybug said, blushing at the contact. She then threw the frame of the glider up in the air. _"Miraculous Ladybug!"_

Like clockwork, the magical ladybugs fixed everything that was damaged, including freeing cars so trapped people could get out and Cat Noir was able to recover from his injuries during his fight.

"Phew, that was close..." Ladybug said.

"Marinette!" Tom and Sabine shouted as they ran back into the bakery.

"Oh crap! Nearly forgot! _Princess!" _Cat Noir hollered before dashing back inside.

"Hang on! The ladybugs fixed everything up! Marinette should be a-okay in her room!" Ladybug said, but realizing she wasn't gonna get them to leave, she zipped up on her yo-yo into her room.

Hearing everyone shouting, Ladybug fell in through the skylight and slid down the railing while changing back into Marinette. Tikki ducked for cover.

Her parents and crush burst in through the room. Tom, relieved to see his daughter safe and sound, gave her a big bear hug.

"Dad, stop! I'm gonna suffocate!" Marinette said, straining for air.

"Oh, sorry!" Tom said. "But I was so scared! You were so sad and heartbroken because of that...!"

Tom glared back at Cat Noir, who wilted and rubbed the back of his neck, not willing to really argue with this.

"Dad, enough," Marinette said, patting her dad's shoulder. "He had a good reason. It's not that he doesn't feel the same way, he just wants to make sure I'm not hurt."

Marinette approached Cat Noir and said, "I know you were only looking out for me. Today just proved your point."

Cat Noir blushed and said, "Thanks for understanding, Princess."

Marinette blushed and said, "It's no problem. We can still be friends, even if we can't date."

"See Tom?" Sabine said. "Marinette's a strong enough girl to handle these things. And Cat Noir didn't give up and tried his best to save her today, too."

"You're right." Tom said, smiling in relief.

Cat Noir was tearing up with joy, tuning the parents out. He hugged Marinette close to him and said, "Oh Princess! _This_ is why I love you! You're kind, understanding, and the most beautiful girl in the world! Even if we can't be together, I'll do my best to be there for you in many more ways!"

Marinette blushed and giggled while snuggling into Cat Noir's arms.

"Well Cat Noir, you've demonstrated courage and determination that rivals the best pastry chefs in the world! Sure you don't wanna learn the trade? Surely if you bring Marinette handmade treats the next time you visit, she'll appreciate it." Tom said.

"Oh dad!" Marinette said as she giggled and snuggled into the arms of her crush.

_'Well, I know I can't date Marinette as Cat Noir, but if I can stay courageous like Mr. Dupain said as_ Adrien_, I'll still get the girl one way or another!' _Cat Noir said as he kept hugging Marinette closer.

The group laughed with joy, Cat Noir soaring with joy on the inside.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this crush swap take! I would've tried doing a Ladrien twist on this, but I honestly think that it wouldn't work (and not just because Ladrien's one of the pairings in the love square that I don't really care for). To start with, when Ladybug and Adrien were in the Agreste Mansion the first time, Gabriel was trying to get the Miraculous. **

**Secondly, Hawk Moth wouldn't have been able to notice Adrien missing from his room at the time because (Backwarder and the Heroes' Day special notwithstanding), Hawk Moth's always in his lair whenever he akumatizes someone (which is probably the main reason Adrien hasn't been caught sneaking in and out of his room). **

**Lastly, if we've learned anything from the events of "Gorizilla" and the Queen's Battle special, the last thing Gabriel wants is for Adrien to get hurt, so having Ladybug come over to the house for lunch, then Ladybug "breaks his son's heart" and then go through all that trouble to akumatize himself all over again as a way to get the Miraculous seems a little... Suspicious, redundant or repetitive, doesn't it? Adrien would realize something was up. Hey, he may be denser than 6" thick cast iron when it comes to Marinette's feelings for him (Hence why I tend to ship Lukanette; Luka isn't thick like that and he sees Marinette for her best traits), but he's at least capable of smelling a rat. Wish he'd grow a backbone, though. **


End file.
